'A great day for kids' State's first magnet school, in Rochester, offers wealth of opportunities

Wednesday

Aug 8, 2012 at 3:15 AMAug 8, 2012 at 9:05 AM

By Samantha Allen sallen@fosters.com

ROCHESTER — Tuesday morning was an unusual site for the Maple Street School campus, as students ran around the playground and filled their classrooms well in advance of Labor Day.

The campus, now deemed the Maple Street Magnet School, opened its doors for the first time that morning, as the state's first ever magnet school. The magnet school is based on theme-based project learning with a 200-day school year, an increase in parental involvement, individualized student learning programs and French lessons several times a week.

The school year adds 20 days to the regular 180-day schedule, with extra days in August and June, and an added week of vacation in October. The school's enrollment is monitored by the superintendent and kept to a slim number, with just 98 students this year. Families are entered into the school based on a lottery system.

That system was recently amended by a narrow School Board vote to automatically allow Rochester staff's children into the school too, a vote which has been the focus of some controversy recently.

Inside the school, as excitement lingered in the halls, a third-grade classroom was well on their way to unlocking the secrets of the romantic Francophone language, as instructor Marty Wintje played his acoustic guitar and led the class in song.

"Bonjour, tout le monde," students sang, which translates to "Hello, everybody" in French.

Principal Robin Brown said she was thrilled to offer Wintje's services to students on a half-time basis. He served previously as the chairman of the French Department at Spaulding High School and is the French Language Director at the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy.

Wintje told students the words for "les emocions" on their first day, as he mimicked happy, sad, timid and tired with charming facial expression.

"Content," he exclaimed, smiling boldly as students followed his direction, enunciating with enthusiasm for the words. "Triste. Timide. Fatigue!"

David Stevens, husband of School Board member Audrey Stevens, said they were excited their 6-year-old daughter, Jadyn, was accepted into the school along with many of her friends. She transferred into the second grade at the magnet school from East Rochester, he said.

"This is wonderful opportunity for her to learn a foreign language and with the individualized learning programs, we're so excited," he said. "The 20 extra days is great."

Principal Brown said she was thrilled to see students pleased to be back in school earlier than most of their peers — the rest of the Rochester school district is set to open on Aug. 29.

"I went into a first-grade classroom to see how it was going and I heard, 'I'm excited!'" she said. "It doesn't get any better than when a first-grader tells you she's excited about coming to school on Aug. 7."

Following a brief opening ceremony Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m. where school and city officials gathered, she added the students will hold another celebration on Aug. 29, with a planting of a tree and a time capsule. They will also showcase their few weeks of school work, from 2 to 3 p.m. on that day.

"We're working on a project-based (curriculum)," she explained. "They're going to use the skills they're learning to put together an open house celebration on opening day with poems, a history of the school and a time capsule."

Superintendent Michael Hopkins commented he heard students were engaged in their studies, and Brown noted students had already memorized the school's first French song.

School Board member Anthony Pastelis referred to the next three to five years of the school's operation, noting it would be "fascinating" to see how students will grow and adapt to the change in academics.

"This is great day for the kids," he said. "It's an example of parents taking a risk to change something."

Third-grade teacher Mary Glidden said she, too, couldn't wait to see how children would take to the lessons.

"The students are excited to be here and having a good time," she said. "I'm looking forward to the year. And to watch their growth, especially with the French, it's just a great opportunity."